Vasanas

All religious rites are only for the purification of mental and intellectual layers and to prepare them for the meditation. All physical and mental religious rites will result in positive vasanas. This may cancel out the negative vasanas in us, but  they are still vasanas and will result in after life.  If they are + vasanas, it will result in a better life condusive for further spiritual evolution in the succeeding lives, but the individual will have to destroy those positive vasanas too in that life to attain moksha.

Meditate and boil our your impurities!

When water from clouds come down, it is in its purest form.  However when when all such pure water collects and  forms rivulets, streams, rivers etc. it flows down through various environments where it collects other particles to it both good and bad.  These particles are not merged in the water, they are just suspensions. Water is still the H2O, but there are other compounds mixed in suspension. However when that water is purified and distilled again (thro boiling),  the water again becomes pure.

SImilarly,  all things including humans in this cosmos comes from the pure Brahman.  However the circumstances of the life make them add vasanas to their bosom and make them impure, demonic and evil.  Non-humans such as plants and animals continue to live as such in their path of evolution.  However humans alone have the capacity to make a change in their existing life. 

Meditate and boil out the impurities and you can become pure and attain God hood again.

The categories of Joys - as per Vedas

Namaste.  I am reading commentaries on Taittriya Upanishad by Sw. Chinamayananda and read the wonderful categorization of the concept of 'joy'  as defined by Vedas in it. Reproducing below the explanations as given by Gurudev Chinmayananda in Section V  of Brahmananda Valli in Taittriya Upanishad .

Priyam (joy)  The kind of happiness or joy  experienced when an individual is mentally contemplating  a sense object.

Moda (rejoicing):  When the object of happiness (or love) is very near and in vicinity to the individual, it is more subtler and greater than priyam.  It is rejoicing or moda.

Pramoda (bliss):  When the individual actually comes to indulge in the enjoyment of the object, the joy arising out of this actual experiencing is called pramoda or bliss.

Hari Om.

Power of Silence!

Namaste.  In the book  'We Must'  by Gurudev Sw. Chinmayananda,  he writes about the power of silence internally and externally.  Rephrasing and writing about it will destroy his amazing eloquence, so I am reproducing below,  a few lines as it is from the book., seeking Gurudev's blessings on all.

"In sharing our ideas with others, let us remember that it is our own wealth of inner silence that creates the greater contact, for very often it is found that our silence creates an equally deep silence in the listener, and in that silence his confusions get liquidated.

In silence, that which was not clear to the listener becomes suddenly illuminated and vivid. In that inner silence the still small voice of conscience is rendered more eloquent than at other times.

Let us not forget the greatest forces in nature are all ever silent. The silent power of Truth, in irresistible efficiency, is constantly at work - without strife, sound or confusion. As devotees of Truth when we work in the society, let us make use of this silent might of the ever-conquering Truth.  We must learn to be cheerfully silent, gracefully silent, powerfully silent.  We MUST... "

Hari Om.

Existence-Knowledge-Bliss

Nasmaste.  Last week I happened to listen to the wonderful podcast of Sw. Sarvapriyananda, the resident Swami of Vedanta Society, NY and in that talk, he exquisitely explains the concept of ‘Sat-Chit-Ananda’ in a new light (for me).  The concept of ‘Sat-Chit-Ananda’ is in other words known as ‘Existence-Consciousness-Bliss’ which represents the Brahman that is the substratum for this cosmos.   All creations are nothing but ‘Maaya’ (mirage) and all have some or all of this tri-principle.  However if we consider and analyze the evolutionary theory along with this Vedantic concept of Sat-Chit-Ananda, we realize the development has been gradual in the ascending order.

It starts with plain Existence (only) in plants and other insentient things.  In animals and other living creatures, we see both Existence and Consciousness where they are aware of their life and try to protect themselves. Finally in the epitome of the evolution which is humans, all the three principles of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss are available.  Man alone has the capacity and ability to attain the bliss of immortal Supreme which is the essence of Brahman. 

Alas most of the humans are not yet reached the maturity level to attain that immortal bliss and are too engrossed on materialistic worlds of BMI.  However as many scientists and our Mahatmas say,  the human evolution is progressing and there will be a generation who are super humans and spiritually enlightened like Buddha and Adi Shankara. 

Hari Om.

Vasanas, Thoughts, Actions

As per the Vedantic theory, all creatures in this cosmos are brought in because of its Vasanas.   These Vasanas  are formed as a result of the past actions.

In case of humans,  it could be the actions from his/her past lives.   Eliminating this Vasanas is the part of the evolution to species of higher maturity with increasing levels of awareness and knowledge about itself.   It takes multiple lifetimes to clean oneself of his/her vasanas.

The Vasanas feeds thoughts into an ego-centric and outgoing mindset (personality) and those thoughts drives actions in the outside world.   It is easier to control the actions by a person than controlling his/her mind.  So the best starting point for brahmacharya (dedicating onself into Brahman) is control of  his/her actions.   Even if there are any fanciful thoughts in the mind, let is pass and just be a witness. Do not get involved in it and abstain from acting on it.  If possible revert the mind flow back to Brahman or a Guru. The thoughts without actions dies a natural death.  When many such thoughts are inactive,  that specific vasana strain will also die.  This is the trick of attaining brahmacharya control.

Sw. Chinmayananda puts it so simply and beautifully in his explanation of verse 445 of Viveka Choodamani as below

“ A sadhak trying to lead a noble way of life should mentally have the presence of his Ideal or his teacher (Guru) always before him so  that his baser tendencies get weaker and he is always inspired to live the Ideal way of life".

Hari Om